The Veiled Machinations; The Shia Clerics’ Role in Modern Iran
The Islamic extremist government and factions are often instigated by clerics who seek to preserve the customs and centuries-old superstitions in order to safeguard their societal status. These adept clerics possess tested charisma and knowledge of manipulating their followers. This pattern has recurred throughout Iranian history, evident in the suppression of freedom fighters and nationalists who threaten their hegemony. The clerics harbor deep-seated opposition towards modernity and progress on social and scientific fronts, fearing that increased knowledge and understanding among the populace would undermine their control. Mosques, serving as the primary public structures in small villages, were deliberately established to ensure clerical domination over the community. They imposed bans on Western influences, ranging from private baths with showers to radio and television. Curiously, when they recognized the utility of these Western elements, they swiftly deemed them permissible and embraced them.
The emergence of the Bábi movement and, subsequently, the Baháʼí Faith occurred during a period of profound social, economic, and political turmoil in Iran, unparalleled in the past five centuries. These movements advocated for equality, spiritual renewal, laws, thoughts, and values reform. Consequently, the Muslim clerics witnessed the dismantling of the kingdom they had long presided over since the Safavid dynasty. As the religious authority rested with the clerics, they initially rejected the Báb and, in a pseudo-Islamic court, condemned his spiritual mission. They urged the Shah to execute him for heresy. They later proposed imprisoning Baháʼu’lláh and exiling him and his family from Iran to Iraq. However, the clerics’ plan to confine Baháʼu’lláh in Iraq was short-lived, as both Iranian and Iraqi ulama observed the burgeoning Baháʼí community.
Meanwhile, the clerics devised strategies to relocate Baháʼu’lláh beyond Iraq to regain their lost control and pacify the people. They incited their followers to attack and exterminate the Bábis and Baháʼís, labeling them as heretics, thus justifying their killing and confiscating their properties. In cities with significant concentrations of Baháʼís, thousands lost their lives. With the assistance of the Ottoman King, Baháʼu’lláh was ultimately exiled to Istanbul, Adirne, and Acre in Palestine (present-day Israel). It is important to note that the animosity of the Muslim clerics towards the Baháʼís persists to this day, perpetuated by clerics adhering to the same school of thought as during the time of Baháʼu’lláh.
The Muslim clerics commonly permit the advancement and growth of individuals within their inner circles to safeguard their interests. However, the moment they sense any inclination within these circles to question the prevailing order, these individuals are either terrorized, meet an untimely demise in accidents, or fall victim to assassination by their enemies. The only form of progress and modernity that the clerics tolerate is within domains that ensure their protection, such as intelligence gathering, armed forces, and espionage. They strive to remain fully cognizant of their surroundings lest they lose their grip on power. Connecting the dots and discerning the overarching pattern doesn’t take long. However, those who perceive the whole picture inevitably become dissidents and targets for elimination.
By examining the historical events within Iran’s Islamic movements over the past 150 years, including the Islamic Republic, one can unravel the circumstances and identify the primary orchestrators behind these events. Although the complexity of history may initially seem daunting, the identities of those standing at the end serve as precise indicators of the puppet masters at work.
